Dental instrument.



W. B. MILLER.

DENTAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION I'ILED MAY 13. 1909.

943,884. Patented Dec. 21, 1909.

W1 m eooao atto'cnu UNI ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DENTAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 21, 1909.

Application filed May 13, 1909. Serial No. 495,828.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM B. MILLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Altoona, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania,have invented new and useful Improvements in Dental Instruments, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to dental instruments that are used for theapplication of medical preparations, cement, etc., directly to theteeth, gums, or other portions of the mouth, and this instrument isparticularly adapted for using interchangeable points intended to holdthe liquid to be applied. It is particularly designed for the treatmentof pyorrhea and other allied alveolar complications which heretoforewere of doubtful termination, and is known as the Miller pyorrhea penand medicinal applicator.

As an illustration of such an instrument I make reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows the instrument with apoint clamped at its widest portion. Fig. 2 shows the same instrumentwith the point clamped at its narrowest portion so as to produce a spoonshaped end. Fig. 3 is a side view of the clamp. Fig. 4 is an end view ofthe clamp, and Fig. 5 is a plan of one of the points when flattened out.

Similar letters refer to similar parts through the several views.

The instrument consists of a handle 0 of any desired shape orconstruction having a ferrule (Z for holding the principal part of theinstrument. Into this ferrule (Z is fastened by means of a screw orotherwise, a clamp b b. The two portions 1) and b of this clamp are sodesigned that normally they are separated by the spring action of thearms themselves, and they are brought together by means of the slide cwhich surrounds said clamping arms. The ends of the clamp are formed sothat one has a depression or concave portion and the other has a convexportion fitted into this concave portion of the clamp. By this means apiece l of flexible material such as a or a is made spoon shaped byclamping it between the two portions just described. These flexiblepieces, hereinafter called points, can be made of any desired shape orsize and when they are made in the shape shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing,the larger end is clamped when intended for use in applying treatment tothe teeth, but when found more convenient, the narrow end can be clampedinstead, which forms a spoon.

The principal portion of this invention is the flexible points and themeans of clamping the same so as to allow the maximum amount of liquidto be held by the instrument for application to the infected parts. Thisis increased by curving the point so that capillary attraction will holdthe liquid in addition to the ordinary amount that would be held by mereadhesion. The point can be made out of celluloid or any other flexiblematerial not readily affected by the ordinary medicines or liquids usedin dentistry.

With this and other objects in view, I claim 1. A flexible point for theapplication of liquids to infected parts, consisting of a strip of filmcelluloid having one end rounded and enlarged and the other pointed sothat the curving of the large end will produce a curve all along to thepoint.

2. The combination with a flexible point for the application of liquidsto infected parts, said point consisting of a strip of flexible materialhaving one end rounded and the other end V-shaped, of a clamp for thesame, comprising cooperating concave and convex jaws, whereby theclamping of the large end of the point will produce a curvelongitudinally of the same to the small end.

IVILLIAM B. MILLER.

WVitnesses:

LUCY I'IILEMAN, CHAS. H. MORGAN.

